Phill Hopkins | House of Questions

12/05/2020

The Nobel prize-winning Jewish physicist Isidore Rabi once explained that his mother taught him how to be a scientist. ‘Every other child would come back from school and be asked, “What did you learn today?” But my mother used to ask, instead, “Izzy, did you ask a good question today?”’

In March, just before the lockdown, I was awarded a visual arts bursary from Leeds Church Institute to work for six months with a theologian. As part of this I am working on a project entitled ‘House of Questions’ - an environment, or safe place, where one might be free to ask any question that concerns them.
You might like to follow my workings via https://www.instagram.com/house_of_questions/
At the moment I am working with notions of questions rather than answers, freedom, safety and openness. In light of the present COVID-19 pandemic, these same concerns may be on many of our minds.

In the yeshiva, the home of traditional Talmudic learning, the highest compliment a teacher can give a student is 'Du fregst a gutte kasha', ‘You raise a good objection.’

Here’s what I’d like your help with:
I’d like to collect video clips from lots of different people asking a question, to form a piece within the ‘House of questions’.
I’d like to ask you to offer a question (in response to the question below).
I’d like you to make a very brief video of you asking the question and nothing else, preferably a ‘head and shoulders’ shot and not worrying about what’s in the background (rather like you might appear in a Zoom meeting, if you’ve been part of one of those lately).
It does not have to be in English, if it is not your first language.
You might have a faith or none or not be sure.
I’d then like you to send the video clip to me via email (details below).
Please may you forward this email to other interested people.

Here is the question I’d like you to answer:If you were free to ask ANY one question and I mean ANY question, about faith/God/religion/theology, what would it be?